Abstract
The Derzhavin-L'vov circle was the most productive literary society in eighteenth-century Russia. It consisted primarily of four members, four poets who were drawn together by friendship, family ties and shared interests: Derzhavin (the greatest writer of the Catherinian age), Khemnitser, L'vov and Kapnist. They addressed each other in verse, refined and revised each other's compositions, and were inspired by the same themes and models. The interests of the circle and their associates extended beyond the discipline of literature, into the fields of art, architecture, theatre and music, so that their activity is representative of the cultural life of St Petersburg during the reign of
Catherine IT.
The thesis is a descriptive account of the origin, the functioning and the influence of the Derzhavin-L'v9v circle. The objectives are to chronicle the interwoven lives of the circle's protagonists; to investigate the backgrounds to their major artistic accomplishments; to measure their involvement in one another's work; to find similarities in style, attitude and idea; and to make comparisons or draw contrasts. The approach is that of the literary historian concerned not solely with literature, but with the people behind it and the circumstances which produced it.